This is the imperative that we learned in Chapter One, the Sie-command. When you address one OR several people in a formal manner, you must use this form. The verb takes the -en ending of the Sie form, and the pronoun Sie is always placed immediately after the verb, exactly as in an interrogative sentence.
| Nehmen Sie das Buch! | Take the book! |
| Kaufen Sie es! | Buy it! |
2. Familiar Command - Singular
When you are on a du basis with someone, the familiar singular command is used. This command is formed by removing the -st ending from the present tense of the du form, which leaves just the basic stem. The personal pronoun is not used -- just the verb itself.
| komm! | come! |
| geh! | go! |
| trink! | drink! |
Note: verbs that end in a -t or -d, or a consonant cluster like -fn, retain the additional -e- that was added to facilitate pronunciation:
| antworte! | answer! |
| rede! | speak! |
| öffne! | open! |
You may also see an -e ending on other verbs in the command form, especially in conversational German, but it’s optional and technically should only be added to verbs with a -t, -d or consonant cluster ending.
Note on stem-changing verbs: verbs that have a vowel change from e > i or e > ie retain this change in the familiar singular command.
| iss! | eat! |
| gib! | give! |
| sieh! | look! |
However, verbs whose stem vowel changes from a > ä do not retain this change in the imperative.
| fahr! | drive! |
| lauf! | run! |
3. Familiar Command - Plural
When you address several persons with whom you are on a du basis, the familiar plural command is used. This command has exactly the same form as the ihr conjugation, with the personal pronoun dropped.
| kauft! | buy! |
| antwortet! | answer! |
| lernt! | study! |
| esst! | eat! |
This is the easiest of the command forms, since it is exactly the same as the conjugated ihr-form, just without the pronoun!
4. Mild Commands
When expressing the form “let us” (let’s eat!) the first person plural (wir) with an inverted word order is used.
| Gehen wir jetzt! | Let’s go now! |
5. Command forms of SEIN
The command forms of sein are slightly irregular: the Sie and wir forms are different than you would expect. The command forms for “be!” are:
| Seien Sie! | Sei! | Seid! | Seien wir! |
Note on separable-prefix verbs: if there is a separable prefix attached to the verb, it functions in the normal manner and appears after the command form. This holds true for all command forms (Sie, ihr, du, wir):
| Steh auf! | Stand up! |
| Kommen Sie bitte mit! | Come along, please! |
A. Umschreiben. Rewrite the following sentences in the familiar singular and the familiar plural command forms.
| 1. | Nehmen Sie das Brot mit! | |
| 2. | du: __________________________________________ | ihr: __________________________________________ |
| 3. | Haben Sie keine Angst! | |
| 4. | du: __________________________________________ | ihr: __________________________________________ |
| 5. | Fahren Sie bitte schnell! | |
| 6. | du: __________________________________________ | ihr: __________________________________________ |
| 7. | Vergessen Sie es nicht! | |
| 8. | du: __________________________________________ | ihr: __________________________________________ |
| 9. | Seien Sie vorsichtig! | |
| 10. | du: __________________________________________ | ihr: __________________________________________ |
| 11. | Sprechen Sie laut! | |
| 12. | du: __________________________________________ | ihr: __________________________________________ |
B. Befehle. Tell the following people what they should do.
BEISPIEL: Sagen Sie zu Fritz, dass er das Auto kaufen soll!  | Fritz, kauf das Auto! | |
| 1. | Sagen Sie zu Paul, dass er das Brot essen soll. | _______________________________________ |
| 2. | Sagen Sie zu Frau Braun, dass sie nicht laufen soll. | _______________________________________ |
| 3. | Sagen Sie zu Paul und Hans, dass sie brav sein sollen. | _______________________________________ |
| 4. | Sagen Sie zu Luise, dass sie dich anrufen soll. | _______________________________________ |
| 5. | Sagen Sie zu Professor Schmidt, dass er anfangen soll. | _______________________________________ |
| 6. | Sagen Sie zu Paul und Fritz, dass sie den Wein mitbringen sollen. | _______________________________________ |
C. Heikle Situationen. Below are three situations in which you might use imperatives to tell people to do things. Using a few of the vocabulary phrases below, write what you would say to the people in the following situations.
| aufräumen = to clean up | aufwachen / aufstehen = to get up |
| den Bus nehmen = to take the bus | die Musik leise stellen = to turn down the music |
| ein Taxi bestellen = to call for a taxi | Kopfhörer benutzen = to use headphones |
| (nicht) fahren = to (not) drive | ruhig / still sein = to be quiet |
| umziehen = to move (to a different house) | die Wäsche waschen = to do laundry |
| zur Klasse gehen = to go to class | (nicht) faulenzen / (nicht) faul sein = to (not) be lazy |
| 1. | Es ist elf Uhr morgens, und dein Freund schläft noch (=still). Er hat eine Klasse um 12.30. Sein Zimmer ist auch sehr unordentlich, und er hat keine saubere (=clean) Kleidung. Was sagst du zu ihm? |
| 2. | Dein Nachbar, Herr Meyer, spielt jeden Abend laute Musik, und du kannst nicht schlafen. Was sagst du zu ihm? |
| 3. | Deine Freunde trinken am Wochenende viel Bier, und sie wollen dann mit dem Auto nach Hause fahren. Was sagst du zu ihnen? |